Air New Zealand has launched an accelerator programme for zero-emissions aircraft and will work alongside aircraft developers to operate its first commercial demonstrator flight from 2026. The carrier is in close negotiations and expects to sign letters of intent by the end of the year with the partners it will work with, it says in a statement today. The Mission Next Generation Aircraft accelerator programme will focus on two goals that will include its plan to fly its first commercial demonstrator flight from 2026 and begin replacing its Bombardier Q300 domestic fleet with a more sustainable aircraft from 2030, which Air New Zealand says is likely to be green hydrogen or battery hybrid systems. These goals follow the airline's Product Requirements Document (PRD) released in December 2021, which saw more than 30 aircraft developers respond with ideas and insights to guide the technology development. Chief executive Greg Foran states: "The next three years will be focused on supporting the building, testing and certifying of aircraft and associated infrastructure. By 2026, we're aiming to have our first zero-emissions aircraft – either cargo or passenger – take flight in New Zealand. “The learnings we will take from flying an aircraft with next-generation propulsion technology from 2026 will pave the way for our long-term green hydrogen and hybrid partners to deliver an aircraft that can replace our Q300 domestic fleet. We’re breaking new ground here – it’s not just the aircraft that needs to be developed, but also the infrastructure and regulation required to fly commercially.”

Boeing forecasts a longer timeline for the certification of its two forthcoming 737 Max variants while also planning engineering upgrades for both Max and 787 aircraft. The airframer is in the certification process with the US Federal Aviation Administration on both Max 7 and Max 10 aircraft, Boeing Commercial Airplanes segment chief executive Stan Deal said on 2 November during the company’s investor day conference, and anticipates the certification “of Max 10 by late 2023 or early 2024”. Deal also raised the possibility that Max 7 certification could take until “later this year or early into 2023”, potentially going beyond the company’s previous forecast of year-end 2022. Certification for 777X aircraft “remains on track”, for it to begin deliveries by 2025, Deal says. A major lesson from the grounding of Max aircraft between 2019 and 2020 was to not make forecast for certification only to repeatedly delay them, Boeing Company chief executive David Calhoun said during the investor conference. “Our stated objective is going to remain stability… to deliver on time to customers,” Calhoun said. US lawmakers at the end of 2020 tasked FAA with improving aircraft certification following the agency’s lifting of a flight ban against Max aircraft that year. Two fatal Max crashes raised scrutiny from Congress while the FAA in August lifted a separate ban on shipments of 787s after resolving manufacturing issues with the widebody type. Shipments of 787s could be slowed by ongoing reviews, as the FAA has said that it will retain power to grant airworthiness certificates for new 787s prior to delivery until “Boeing’s quality control and manufacturing processes consistently produce 787s that meet FAA design standards”. Boeing plans to develop improved versions of its existing aircraft including “a new flight management system” for Max aircraft, Deal said, as the airframer prepares to “usher in autonomy” for future aircraft designs. The company “in the near future” also plans to introduce a variant of 787 aircraft capable of carrying more weight, which Deal said is intended to increase its capability.

Air New Zealand has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo configured for domestic operations from the airframer and will put it to service this month. The aircraft arrived in Auckland from the Airbus's facility in Hamburg, Germany on 3 November, the carrier says. The new aircraft is currently undergoing five days of pre-service readiness in the Auckland hangars before it commences its first flight on 8 November from Auckland to Wellington, it adds. It is the first of two new A321neos to join the carrier's domestic fleet in 2022. The second will arrive later this year and feature Air New Zealand's first-ever black Star Alliance livery. Three more A321neos are expected to arrive 2023, with the final two scheduled for 2026. The airline says it will use the A321neos predominately on routes between Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown and Dunedin. "We're focused on growing our domestic network and this A321neo is especially configured for domestic flying to add almost 50 additional seats per flight compared to our A320s," Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty says.